After eleven seasons in the Classic League, Johnstone Wildcats have faced their share of highs and lows. The club made their Classic League debut in Season 24 and finished second place. The following four seasons saw successful seasons (second in season 27 and third in season 26) and struggles at times (fifth in Season 25 and sixth in season 28). After being relegated in Season 28, Johnstone spent two seasons before the club returned to the Classic League.

In their second Classic League run, Johnstone Wildcats finished second yet again and followed that campaign with a disappointing relegation in Season 32. This time Johnstone made a quick return to the Classic League after winning Division 1a and finished third, fourth, and fourth, in the previous three seasons.

After ten seasons in the Classic League, one thing was missing…the Classic League title. In Season 37, KonkyWonky finally guided Johnstone Wildcats to their first major title after topping the Classic League to cap an amazing season.

The Classic League title did not come easy though, Johnstone Wildcats sat two points behind the top two teams with only two matches left. The top two teams played to a tie in the second to last match, leaving three teams tied on points heading into the final match day. After a tense and nerve wrecking day, it was Johnstone Wildcats and KonkyWonky who claimed the Classic League title.

KonkyWonky spoke to the Xpert Daily on his instant impact after taking over the team, the clubs rise to the top, and what the future might hold.

XD: First off I’d like to congratulate you on claiming your first ever Classic League title! How does it feel to be the Classic League champion?

KonkyWonky: Thank you! It feels good, it’s taken a long time to reach our goal of winning a trophy, over 5 years. We’ve come close a couple of times in both league and cup, losing out on the last day of the season twice and being losing cup finalists twice, so it’s great to finally get the job done.

XD: What was your goal at the start of the season? In terms of the league and the cup.

KonkyWonky: I don’t tend to set goals at the start of the season other than to try and secure survival. The strongest team doesn’t always win so I feel it’s important to build a team that is capable of staying in the top tier for as long as possible. This was our eleventh season playing in the top tier so I guess we were due that little bit of luck you need to get over the line. It’s important to get points on the board early on in the campaign, after the first couple of rounds of matches I think you get a better feel as to what might be achievable over the rest of the season. We started the season very well, picking up wins away from home against some of the stronger teams in the division, so at that point I thought we could get ourselves in the mix. As for the cup, I pretty much take that as it comes. It’s an opportunity to give the youths as much game time as possible.

XD: At what point in the league did you think this was your year to win the league?

KonkyWonky: I never felt at any point that we had it in the bag. I remember thinking that if we could win against Scorpion F.C. away from home in the eighth round of matches it would effectively make it a two horse race between us and Coh I Aelia Dacorum, and I fancied our chances against the latter. I didn’t think they could consistently pull off the results to last the course given the age of their squad and lack of cover. We lost that match against Scorpion F.C. by a single goal and it signaled the start of an awful period for us. We went on to lose our next match at home to HMFC who were bottom of the league and then stuttered to a home draw against Cloggies who were struggling for results at the time. We didn’t create a single chance over those three matches, so at that point I thought our luck had turned and our title challenge was over.

XD: You’ve come close to winning the league in the past, having finished 2nd place on three separate occasions. What was different this season than in past seasons?

KonkyWonky: To be honest I don’t know, tactically I still approach the game the way I did when we missed out. If you know the answer to that one please let me know!

XD: Does winning the league with the best offense (19 goals) and tied for the best defense (6 goals) make lifting the title that much more special?

KonkyWonky: It made it pleasing for me, but I’m not sure anyone else will look at that aspect and it will quickly be forgotten. Our defense has been solid for a few seasons now, that area was never a concern. Scoring goals has always been a struggle for my teams, not just for Johnstone Wildcats, so it was pleasing to be the top scorers although I’m still not quite sure how it happened!!

XD: The league came down to the final match with your side and Scorpion FC tied on points. What went through your mind when setting the tactics for the final match as well as when you were watching it?

KonkyWonky: Three teams went into the final day on the same points, I’m not sure if that has ever happened in an Xpert League before? I did buy more match reports than I normally would and spent more time selecting tactics, the extra info helped highlight a pattern that I wouldn’t have got from just a couple of match reports but having lost out so many times before I didn’t want to leave any stone uncovered. I was quite happy going into the match that tactically I had given ourselves the best opportunity of winning, I felt most factors were in our favour so there was no need to take unnecessary risks. Watching the game was a nervy affair, we were dominant but only lead by a single goal approaching full time, a goal for Coh I Aelia Dacorum would hand Scorpion F.C. the title. Coh I Aelia Dacorum created a chance in the 93rd minute, it’s fair to say my heart skipped a few beats, thankfully they didn’t convert it and we went up the other end of the pitch to score in the 94th minute.

XD: Was there one game this season that stuck out more than the others?

KonkyWonky: It was a match that didn’t involve us! The second last round of games saw Coh I Aelia Dacorum face Scorpion F.C. at home. Both teams were two points ahead of us and we had a tough away game against FC Chupacabra who still had a chance of avoiding relegation. A win for either Coh I Aelia Dacorum or Scorpion F.C. would have made them red hot favourites for the title so I was pretty happy to see them draw, leaving the three of us on equal points going into the last game.

XD: The league title was your first major title with Johnstone Wildcats. Is this the first of many to come?

KonkyWonky: I’d love to be able to say yes but I need to make some changes to the squad that will likely weaken our best starting line up. I’m still not sure what I want to do, that will partly come down to the players available on the market and whether some of our own decide they want to remain at the club. As we run a conveyer system we will always need a bit more luck over the season to compete against the clubs that chase short term glory, that’s just the way the game works and I don’t really have a problem with that.

XD: You took over the team, which was called Team PSV at the time, in Season 18. What made you want to take over the club?

KonkyWonky: I had been on the site for just over a year and was still with my original Xpert team, I was enjoying the game but being so new to the site made some pretty poor decisions. The team wasn’t progressing as quickly as I would have liked so I had half an eye in the job centre for a team with a bit more potential. Team PSV seemed to fit the bill, they had a good solid core of players and some sellable assets. The only negative I could see was that they were half way into the season and the average form of the team was very low which would have an impact on the change report.

XD: Your appointment as manager came with an instant impact to the club. You took the team from Division 5 to the Classic League by gaining promotion every season, and winning every division aside from Division 2. What allowed you to take this team to the top so quickly?

KonkyWonky: We had a good core of players and I built up a reasonable war chest by selling a few players pretty much as soon as I took over. That allowed me to bring in some players at the start of the following season, retrospectively they don’t look like great signings now but there was more econ in the game back then so transfers from that era always look over priced now. The players I brought in had plenty of potential and they continued to develop as we went through the divisions, some of them hadn’t reached their full potential even by the time we reached the top flight. That all helped but again the biggest factor was probably a lot of luck!

XD: With your team looking strong for the new season, and with only one player set to retire at the end of this coming season, do you expect to win the league again?

KonkyWonky: Quite the opposite, I’d be really surprised if we challenge for the title. Four of our first five matches are away from home and then the XCL kicks in so on paper it’s about as tough as the fixture list could get. I may make some changes to the squad during the season if the right players are available at the right price, that might mean some of the older higher skilled players moving on which will weaken us short term.

XD: Seasons 38 will be your first season playing in the Xpert Champions League. What are you expectations for the XCL?

KonkyWonky: We will be up against some very strong teams and unless we get lucky with the draw we are likely to be one of the weaker teams in the group. It would be a huge achievement for us to get out the group, that will be the aim but it is a blue skies scenario. Whatever happens I’m sure it will be a great experience to face some of the best teams on the site.